The present invention relates to automobile air conditioners, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for controlling an automobile air conditioner of the type in which a control member is provided to adjust the output of the air conditioner from maximum heating to maximum cooling according to its position.
In a conventional automobile air conditioner of this kind, all the air entering into the air duct passes through the air conditioner evaporator and then passes through the heater core before it is discharged into the passenger compartment. The proportion of the cooled air and the heated air is controlled in response to an instant opening angle of the air-blend door, and the heated air is mixed with the remainder of the cooled air to achieve a comfortable temperature. To maintain the comfortable temperature under the control of the air-blend door, it is required to compensate the opening angle of the air-blend door in accordance with such various thermal disturbances as changes of the solar heat, the temperature of outside air, the number of passengers, the travelling speed of the vehicle and the like. For this requirement, various sensors are needed to detect the thermal disturbances, and the application of the various sensors will cause the control system to amount to a complicated construction.